India, Pak drawn together in Pool B for 2015 Cricket World Cup

London, July 30 (ANI): Arch rivals India and Pakistan have reportedly been drawn together in the same group in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, the final of which will be hosted in the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The tournament will be held in Australia and New Zealand.

According to the Guardian, along with India and Pakistan, the other countries listed in the Pool B for the tournament are South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland, which has won qualification, and one other nation.

Whereas Pool A has England, Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand and two qualifiers, with the report adding that, among the three qualifiers, two will be determined via a qualifying tournament in New Zealand in January 2014.

The report also added that each of the 14 teams in the two pools will play each other in a round-robin format before the top four from each pool qualify for the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, the report said that the city of Christchurch in New Zealand may host the opening match of the tournament between 1996 World Cup champions Sri Lanka and New Zealand on 14 February if plans for a redevelopment of Hagley Park in the city are approved by an Environment Court hearing in the wake of a ruinous earthquake in 2011.

However, the report said that Christchurch has provisionally been awarded three pool matches in the tournament hosted by Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March, with organisers saying that the pool matches would be split evenly between both Australia and New Zealand with seven cities hosting three pool matches each.

Organisers also said that the 29 March final follows semi-finals at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Auckland's Eden Park.

The MCG will host the final of the World Cup 23 years after a bumper crowd at the 100,000-seat stadium saw Pakistan defeat England in the 1992 final, the report added. (ANI)